Author
Anne Hicks Harney, FAIA, has more than 30 years of experience, focusing on high-quality design imbued with a solid technical and sustainable foundation. At Long Green Specs, she provides sustainability-focused construction specifications and building material expertise to architectural firms across the country. She was chair of the AIA... Read more
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There has been some great press in the last couple of days related to Healthy Building Network's (HBN) newly released report "Chlorine & Building Materials Project". That report is over 200 pages long, but there is some great commentary available that makes the top issues much quicker to grasp.
Chlorine is used to make PVC and PVC... Read more
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Hi Gurus, given these crazy times and many good people being laid off - I'm hoping this is coming at a good time! Hope you are all safe and healthy! It's also flexible so if you are a parent of young child(ren) - also a good 'pandemic job' - sad that that's a "thing" now!
Job description: Project Manager for Green Building Startup
... Read moreQuiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of What’s New in Multi-Attribute Environmental Certifications.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Describe several styles of multi-attribute certification.
2. List a benefit and a downside to both point-based certification programs and... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Driving to Green Buildings: The Transportation Energy Intensity of Buildings!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
Define “transportation energy intensity” as it relates to buildings and understand its impacts on the environment, human health, and... Read more
Forum topic
Hello,
We have recently been introduced to the Innovation Design Consurtium and are considering becoming members. Wondering what others have experienced with this recently created group. Any feedback / experience is most appreciated.
Thanks!
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Hello SCL members,
A gaping hole has been left since Patty Lloyd stepped down from our SCL steering committee. Don't worry, she is still in the network and tirelessly championing SCL. But this means we are opening up nominations for at least one leadership spot. If you are interested, please email me directly (candace@buildinggreen.com)... Read more
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Hi SD Leaders: As you may know, The National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) is currently drafting their proposed 2020 Conditions for Architectural Accreditation. AIA COTE has prepared a response and believe it is critical that the NAAB accreditation process address the role of the architect in climate action and the projected impacts... Read more
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Hello Sustainability Leaders!
The monthly all Peer Networks Meetup has been a wonderful way for casual “face-to-face” connections since the beginning of the pandemic. However, after more than a year with the same structure, we think it’s time for a change. Throughout our virtual summits and events one of the most popular aspects has been... Read more
Product Guide
Green walls provide an important connection to nature in urban settings.
BuildingGreen-Approved Green Walls
We approve green wall systems designed to:
improve the thermal performance of a building by creating shade and an air space between the plants and the building mitigate stormwater runoff (much like green roofs) reduce... Read moreForum topic
Hi everyone -
Some of you already have heard some or all of this news, but I thought I'd share today's press release with the whole group.
The headline is:
SERA is VERY excited to announce that David Johnson, formerly the managing partner of Bill McDonough's San Francisco office, is now heading up SERA's bay area office.... Read more
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Hi folks,
We often hear from you with a suggestion of someone who would be great for the network, and a question about how to refer them. We've now made that easy, with three steps laid out in an Outreach Toolkit that's posted in the left margin of the Member Directory.
So, if you're thinking of someone to invite or come across... Read more
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Hi Everyone!
Does anyone have a good resource for whole-building embodied carbon benchmarks broken down by building use and building category (structure, foundation, envelope, interior)?
I know of CLF’s 2017 Benchmark Study (great resource!) and the One-Click LCA study on European Buildings but are there any others? I know many... Read more
Basic page
Our all-volunteer Advisory Board helps BuildingGreen identify the most critical topics for our coverage, and directs our research as we investigate these topics and bring them to our readers. Their distinguished and varied service in the field of environmentally responsible building is an inspiration.
Steve Baczek, R.A., Reading, MA Bob... Read moreForum topic
Hi folks, I'm reading Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet (Xmas gift) and came across this quote over the weekend which resonated for me, and thought might for this group as well:
"We may feel immense pressure to save the planet in this lifetime, and we may be afraid that we can never do enough. The stark truth is that the planet doesn'... Read more
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Hello,
This is not my area of expertise but our contactor has suggested central heat pump hot water (CHPHW) is $1m more expensive than gas fired domestic hot water for a 150 unit multi-family residential building in Massachusetts. The Building Decarbonization Practice Guide is extremely helpful but, from their comments, it is all coming... Read more
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Hello All,
Through a regional School of Architecture, our firm has been connected with a very intriguing startup that has been engineering a new rooftop wind energy technology. They are developing a system to economically capture the increased wind flows at the edges of commercial building rooftops. They have engineered this system,... Read more